Reel for clothes, awnings, and the like.



H. R. DILLS.

REEL FOR CLOTHES, AWNINGS, AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18. 1916.

l ,1 4,835. Patented May 30, 1916.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGIIAPH ,c0.. WASHINGTON D c %TA@ ET FM}.

HENRY R. BILLS, 0F TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FIFTI-IS T0 WILLIAM PUGSLEY, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

REEL FOR CLOTHES, AWNINGS, AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1916.

Application filed January 18, 1916. Serial No. 72,795.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY R. DILLS, of the city of Toronto, in the county of York, Province of Ontario, Canada, a subject of the King of Great Britain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reels for Clothes, Awnings, and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates torotary reels such as employed for drying clothes or supporting tents or awnings, and my object is to devise a reel which will better. expose the clothes thereon to the action of the sun and wind than the ordinary reel, and which may be filled with the clothes or stripped without the necessity of bodily raising or lowering the clothes supporting frame.

I attain my object by means of a construc tion which may be briefly described as follows. A rotary reel is provided adapted for the support of the clothes, so supported and journaled that it may be rotated on an axis inclined to the vertical so that it may be faced more or less toward the sun. Preferably the support of the reel is so arranged that the direction in which the reel is faced may be changed to suit the position of the sun during such times as the device is in use.

The whole is constructed in detail substantially as hereinafter more specificallydescribed and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a. side elevation of my improved reel; Fig. 2 a plan view of the stand ard; Fig. 3 a sectional detail of the upper part of the standard showing more particu larly the bearing for the reel spindle; Fig. 4: a cross section of the standard taken above the pivots of the controlling links of the spindle; Fig. 5' a side elevation partly bro-ken away of part of the standard; and Fig. 6 a vertical section of parts of the same and its support.

In the drawings like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

1 is the support for the device, which is preferably a tube set in a concrete base embedded to a suitable depth in the ground. On this support the standard of the device is carried, preferably in such a manner that the standard may be rotated. The standard comprises four angle bar members 2, which are suitably connected in spaced relatlonshlp as shown. Preferably the angle bar members are arranged to form the four corners of a square, and are connected by a plurality of transverse plates, three preferably being employed. Oneof these forms a cap 3 for the standard, another 4 connects the lower ends of the members 2, and a third intermediate plate 5 forms a step bearing in which 1s received the upper end of the support 1, whlch also passes through a hole in the plate l. The angle bar members may be connected to these plates by welding, riveting or in any other suitable manner.

If the plates 4: and 5 are arranged so that they turn freely on the support 1, it is preferable to provide the set screw 6, which is threadedthrough the plate a and engages the support to hold the standard from turning. Any suitable handle is provided for this screw. y a

The cap 3 has an opening therein for the passage of the reel spindle 7. At each side of the opening is formed an open bearing 8 adapted to receive the trunnions 9 formed on a collar suitably secured to the spindle 7. The spindle may thus rock freely on the cap 3, swinging between the spaced members of the standard.

The construction of the standard is of importance as the spindle, though supported directly in alinement with the axis of the standard, may swing freely to and from a vertical position, and may, if desired, be

swung from either side of the central vertical clothes.

A look is provided to hold the reel from rotating when such movement is undesirable. For this purpose I provide a lever 14: and a clip 15 secured to the reel spindle. This lever 1 1 has jaws formed thereon adapted to engage any one of the reel arms. The jaws may be sufficiently tight to give a frictional grip and the pivot also be made Sufficiently tight so that when the latch is sary, For this purpose I provide the following mechanism. Blocks 16 are riveted or welded to the angle bar members 2. Each of these blocks is provided with a pivot 17 and on these pivots the links 18 are pivoted. These links at their other ends are pivoted at opposite sides-of a sleeve 1-9 movable freely longitudinally of the spindle 7. One

ofthe pivots 17 is formed as a bolt, the nut conven ent operation. p the nut 20 the adjacent link can be clamped 20' 20 thereof being provided with a handle for By tightening up attany desired angle to the vertical so that the reel may be tilt d to any desired angle. In practice, however, the link will probably be -;clamped at the limit of its swing, as the reel will mostly be employed at a predetermined angle.

As the sleeve 19 will move down the spindle as the latter is swung toward the vertical the sleeve may be used to'lo'ckthe spindle in vertical position. For this purpose I provide the plate 5 with a socket or 7 otherwise suitably shape it for engagement with the lower end or the sleeve, To enable the sleeve to P p rly engage with the plate 5, it is necessary that it have some small amount of movement longitudinally of the spindle whilothe latter remains in its vertical position. This is readily pro i vided by giving each of "the links 18 a limited amount of lost motion on one of its pivots.v Preferably the lost motion is pro- ;vided at thepivfots 17 by forming an elongated hole in each .of the links. -1his enables the links't'o be'pulled up sufliciently when the spindle is in the vertical position to allow the sleeve 19 to lift above the socket in the plate 5, and thereafter to be i dropped to engage therein. A handle 21 is preferably. secured to the sleeve "for convenience in swinging. the spindle 7. A

box to hold clothes pins is preferably connected to the standard at one side. 1The advantage Of this arrangement of there-e1 as described is that with the reel set at an "angle, the clothes receivethe full benefit of the suns rays and the wind, as

' the surfaces of the clothes in the inner wires of the reel are :much better exposed to the. suns rays than they could possibly be withv the reel journaled to rotate in a horizontal plane. Thelower side of the reel is also at a convenient'heig'ht for the clothes tosbe hungpon the lowest side of the reel. As soon as the side which is lowest at the beginning of "operations has been filled up with Velothes, the reel is rotated-to bring another portion of the reel to the lowest position. The weight of the clothes already hung on the reel tends to rotate the reel to bring this section lowest, but the catch 14 provides means for locking the reel in position until it is necessary to turn it to a fresh position.

The general construction of the device, it will be seen, is simple, strong and convenient.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The combination of a suit-ably supported standard; a reel spindle pivoted intermediate of its ends on the upper part of said standard; a reel carried by the upper end of said spindle; a sleeve slidable on the spindle; and a link pivotally connected at one end to said sleeve and at the other end to the standard.

2. The combination of a suitably supported standard; a reel spindle pivoted intermediate of its ends on the upper part of said standard; a reel carried by the upper end of said spindle; a sleeve slidable on the spindle; a link pivotally connected atone end to said sleeve and at the other end to the standard; and means for clamping said link at its pivot to hold it at difieren't angles to said standard.

3. The combination of a suitably supported standard; a reel spindle pivoted inter-mediate of its ends on the upper part of said standard; a reel carried by the upper end of said spindle; a sleeve slidable on the spindle; a link pivotally connected at one 100 end to said sleeve and at the other end to the standard; and a socket connected to the standard in which the lower end of the sleeve may engage when the spindle is in a vertical position, lost motion being provided 105 at one of the pivots of the link to enable the latter to be lowered and raised sufiiciently to enable it to be engaged with and disengaged from said socket.

4. The combination of a standard com- 110 prising four angle bar members and a plurality of plates to which said members are connected in spaced relationship, the upper plate having an opening through it and being provided with an open bearing at 116 each side of the opening; a reel spindle passing through the opening in said upper :plate; trunnions on said spindle resting in said bearings; and a reel carried by the upper end of the spindle.

5. The combination of a standard comprising spaced longitudinal members between which a reel spindle may swing; cross members connecting said longitudinal membersone of which is located substantially 12s at the top of the standard; a reel spindle pivotally connected to swing on said upper member; alink pivoted between said lon-' :gitudin'al members; a sleeve slidable on the reel spindle to which the other "end of said 1,184,835 all link is pivoted; means for locking the spindle in the vertical position; and a reel carried at the upper end of the spindle.

6. The combination of a standard comprising spaced longitudinal members between which a reel spindle may swing; cross members connecting said longitudinal members one of which is located substantially at the top of the standard; a reel spindle pivotally connected to swing on said upper member; blocks secured to the inner sides of said spaced longitudinal members; links pivoted on said blocks; and a sleeve slidable on said reel spindle to which the other ends of said links are pivoted.

Signed at Toronto, Canada, this 12th day of January, 1916, in the presence of the two undersigned witnesses.

HENRY R. DILLS.

Witnesses:

E. P. HALL, A. N. LEWIS.

Denies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

ashington, D. C. 

